Dynamic Fade-In and Fade-Out Sticky Header

Deuteronomy 26

Overview

Deuteronomy 26 discusses the rituals and significance of presenting firstfruits and tithes as offerings to God in the Promised Land. This chapter emphasizes the themes of gratitude, remembrance, and reaffirmation of the Israelites' commitment to God's covenant. Key aspects include:
Offering of the Firstfruits: The chapter begins with the Israelites being instructed to bring the firstfruits of the soil to the place the LORD will choose as a dwelling for His Name. The offerer is to declare before the LORD their gratitude for the land He has given them.
Declaration of Faith: Accompanying the offering of firstfruits, the Israelites are to recount the story of their ancestor Jacob's descent into Egypt, the hardship and slavery they endured there, and how God delivered them with mighty signs and wonders, bringing them into a land flowing with milk and honey.
Presentation of the Offering: The offering is to be set down before the LORD and worshipped. This act is a symbolic gesture of giving back to God a portion of the blessings He has bestowed.
Tithing and Social Responsibility: Every third year, the Israelites are to take a special tithe of their produce and store it within their towns. This tithe is to be used to feed the Levites, who have no inheritance of their own, as well as the foreigners, orphans, and widows, ensuring care for the less fortunate in the community.
Declaration of Compliance with God’s Commandments: After giving the tithe, the Israelites are to declare before the LORD that they have removed the sacred portion from their house and have given it to the Levites and the needy, following all the commandments. They are to pray that the LORD looks down from heaven and blesses His people Israel and the land He has given them.
Deuteronomy 26 highlights the importance of acknowledging God’s blessings and provision through the act of giving. The offering of firstfruits and tithes serves as a tangible expression of gratitude and remembrance of God's deliverance and generosity. It also reflects a commitment to social justice and care within the community, reiterating the covenantal relationship between the Israelites and God.

Deuteronomy 26

1  And it shall be, when thou art come in unto the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee for an inheritance, and possessest it, and dwellest therein;

2  That thou shalt take of the first of all the fruit of the earth, which thou shalt bring of thy land that the LORD thy God giveth thee, and shalt put it in a basket, and shalt go unto the place which the LORD thy God shall choose to place his name there.

3  And thou shalt go unto the priest that shall be in those days, and say unto him, I profess this day unto the LORD thy God, that I am come unto the country which the LORD sware unto our fathers for to give us.

4  And the priest shall take the basket out of thine hand, and set it down before the altar of the LORD thy God.

5  And thou shalt speak and say before the LORD thy God, A Syrian ready to perish was my father, and he went down into Egypt, and sojourned there with a few, and became there a nation, great, mighty, and populous:

6  And the Egyptians evil entreated us, and afflicted us, and laid upon us hard bondage:

7  And when we cried unto the LORD God of our fathers, the LORD heard our voice, and looked on our affliction, and our labour, and our oppression:

8  And the LORD brought us forth out of Egypt with a mighty hand, and with an outstretched arm, and with great terribleness, and with signs, and with wonders:

9  And he hath brought us into this place, and hath given us this land, even a land that floweth with milk and honey.

10  And now, behold, I have brought the firstfruits of the land, which thou, O LORD, hast given me. And thou shalt set it before the LORD thy God, and worship before the LORD thy God:

11  And thou shalt rejoice in every good thing which the LORD thy God hath given unto thee, and unto thine house, thou, and the Levite, and the stranger that is among you.

🔑 See & Share Jesus

12  When thou hast made an end of tithing all the tithes of thine increase the third year, which is the year of tithing, and hast given it unto the Levite, the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow, that they may eat within thy gates, and be filled;

13  Then thou shalt say before the LORD thy God, I have brought away the hallowed things out of mine house, and also have given them unto the Levite, and unto the stranger, to the fatherless, and to the widow, according to all thy commandments which thou hast commanded me: I have not transgressed thy commandments, neither have I forgotten them:

14  I have not eaten thereof in my mourning, neither have I taken away ought thereof for any unclean use, nor given ought thereof for the dead: but I have hearkened to the voice of the LORD my God, and have done according to all that thou hast commanded me.

15  Look down from thy holy habitation, from heaven, and bless thy people Israel, and the land which thou hast given us, as thou swarest unto our fathers, a land that floweth with milk and honey.

16  This day the LORD thy God hath commanded thee to do these statutes and judgments: thou shalt therefore keep and do them with all thine heart, and with all thy soul.

17  Thou hast avouched the LORD this day to be thy God, and to walk in his ways, and to keep his statutes, and his commandments, and his judgments, and to hearken unto his voice:

18  And the LORD hath avouched thee this day to be his peculiar people, as he hath promised thee, and that thou shouldest keep all his commandments;

19  And to make thee high above all nations which he hath made, in praise, and in name, and in honour; and that thou mayest be an holy people unto the LORD thy God, as he hath spoken.

End of Deuteronomy 26


1 Year Plan:  Mar 25 - Deut 25, Deut 26,  Luk 16

Got a Question or Comment?

Let's Talk!
<< Back
Deuteronomy Menu
Next >>
Unnamed